(CNS): As the local Anti-corruption Commission calls on government, the private sector, NGOs and the media to join forces and eradicate the crime on Anti-Corruption Today (ACT), MLA Ezzard Miller has once again called on the premier to resign from office until the police investigation regarding accusations of financial irregularities is resolved. While the commission issued a poster asking Cayman to “act against corruption”, the independent member for North Side said this would be an appropriate day for McKeeva Bush to volunteer to step aside as premier or for his United Democratic Party colleagues to demand he resign before the UK intervenes. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)

“Today being Anti-corruption Day, I repeat and urge the premier to step aside or be forced to do so by his party until the police investigation into these financial irregularities is concluded,” Miller pleaded, as he warned that Cayman did not want the UK to be the ones to force the issue.

“Everyone seems to be waiting for the UK to do something but that is not the outcome we want. We as Caymanians should deal with this. We do not want a repeat of the Turks and Caicos situation and have our constitution suspended,” Miller added.

It is still not clear if the letter sent by McKeeva Bush to developer Stan Thomas asking for $350,000 in connection with the re-zoning of land, which the governor has said is at the heart of the investigation into Bush regarding “financial irregularities”, is being conducted by the commission’s officers or other members of the police service. The letter was sent by Bush to Thomas from his then ministry’s fax machine in October 2004, some seven years before the anti-corruption law was enacted. CNS has contacted Police Commissioner David Baines, who is also chair of the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC), regarding the investigation and is awaiting a response. Other sources have confirmed recently that the investigation is continuing.

Since its creation in May of this year, the ACC has maintained an exceptionally low profile. Its call to action in a poster created to mark the international day against corruption, Anti-Corruption Today (ACT), is one of the first public communication efforts the commission has ever made. The poster states that corruption undermines democracy, as well as the rule of law and leads to human rights violations.

Despite indications from Baines that an education campaign about the commission’s work would get underway this year, so far the body has continued to remain relatively silent about its work and its own efforts to fight corruption.

The first charges brought against anyone under the law, which came into effect in January this year, were made last month against a civilian working for the RCIPS. Patricia Webster has been accused of abusing confidential police data, which has resulted in two counts of abuse of public office and two charges of misconduct in a public office contrary to section 17 of the anti-corruption law 2008.

A former member of the National Housing and Development Trust Board and a prominent UDP official was also arrested under the law in October, accused of abusing his position on the board relating to the sale of insurance policies to the buyers of the low cost government built homes but he has not been charged with any offences. Police confirmed that he was arrested under the anti-corruption legislation as well as for deception offences.

No other details have been revealed of the commission’s work or that of its serving officers, including Detective Inspector Richard Oliver, a former member of the infamous UK’s Special Police Investigation Team (SPIT) of Operation Tempura and Cealt, which was operated in Cayman between 2007 and 2009 reportedly investigating police corruption.

According to minutes posted on the commission’s website, legal counsel to the body, John Masters, had written to the governor and the attorney general regarding “the lack of resources the commission has faced since its inception” and the related concerns. The minutes also reveal that an annual report has been produce by the commission and given to the governor but it has not been made public.

Comments (90)

this is why i dont vote….. lmao who can you trust? why vote for one corrupted fool and vote for an idiot who doesnt know what hes doing. No one is perfect and trust no one thats why i could care less about politics i got my job and im making my money doing my thing and government or no one in fact helped me get anything that i ever wanted, i did it myself.

West Bayers, I Pray that you have woken up out of that deep sleep you have been in. For too long you had believed in this man, it is time now to realize, REALIZE who the Premier is. Yes he has strive on XXXXX for too long, now he is rich and you are poor, poorer and the poorest of all Caymanians. I am from West Bay and it has pained me for 20 odd years to see unnah putting him in and believing everything this man has said, don't anymore. He is an "I MAN" and to hell with you losers. Please if you cannot find someone else to vote for in West Bay, don"t vote at all. As a matter of fact, don't vote for any of the current Government members, they are ALL alike. They have destroyed these Islands and sold us out to the highest bidders. Whats left for your children? Huh?

This investigation will come to no resolution and I personally believe it was discussed in the private meeting Mr. Bush was summoned to England for. Notice how meek he is now when discussing the UK oversight.

If you will agree to not collect a pension while you are still working, to not blame the previous administration for ANY of your own stellar accomplishments, to keep your church's sticky little fingers out of the cookie jar, to not become the subject of criminal investigations by the police, and if you do you will have the decency to step down when asked to, to be transparent rather than fighting FOI tooth and nail, to provide us with accurate, audited accounts and forecasts and projections that make the slightest bit of sense, to keep us out of court for periods of no less than two weeks at a time, to ONLY sign 'deals' that make sense for our country and our people and to NOT fire entire Boards, no matter HOW much they defend the best interests of their country just so you can have your own way, to stop learning how to run a country from the Jamaican and Chinese governments, to not give our country away, and to stay home for no less than twenty percent of the time we might just have a job for you, sir. When would you like to start sir? Oh, I forgot to mention we will not be in a financial position to decorate your house for Christmas this year, and there are certain other 'perks' that you will not be recieving but we can discuss that once you have signed the MOU right here on the dotted line please sir. We wrote this on in English rather than Chinese so you can actually understand what it says, sir.

Funny thing about corruption is that the parties perpetrating it have lots of time to do it properly and cover their tracks. They know about it long before we do. We just have our suspicions. Unless of course something like an inciminating email is leaked. Even then they are given much benefit of the doubt more so than the average criminal. Richard Nixon comes to mind. Even after it was blantantly obvious he had abused his office, there was much agonizing amongst politicians in the U.S. This is because not only is the person personally responsible but those in power share the blame for allowing it to happen in the first place. For the electorate, it is the same. As we must also find ourselves guilty by putting them there. This is an embarrassment. But the option is to allow it to continue and no matter where it leads ie. further evidence of corruption by other parties it must be stopped. The fox is in the henhouse. We've known that for a long time. Can foxes-government- investigate itself? Or should such a commission be made up of members of the public? Funded seperately from government? This is not a reflection on members of the present board but it sounds as if they are being hamstrung by the same government they are overseeing, It will not work. And they will not be able to do the job set for them. Maybe that is the ultimate plan?

Calling for the Premier to step down is not something that we should even have to do. As our Premier, he is to be held accountable to the people he serves for his conduct. He should be speaking openly about the allegations if there is nothing to hide, or step down. Our problem here is that we are all complacent by standing on the sidelines hoping that it will not impact on our daily lives. This is foolhardy and shortsighted, and Cayman's reputation is taking some serious damage. If this continues, we'd all better start practicing our Hindi and Mandarin !

I'm not saying Mac is completely incompetent as a leader, but, what weneed is someone who is QUALIFIED in handling government relations and finance adequately. Last time I checked he doesn't have a college degree…

Ezzard Miller: “Everyone seems to be waiting for the UK to do something but that is not the outcome we want. We as Caymanians should deal with this. We do not want a repeat of the Turks and Caicos situation and have our constitution suspended.” People, the Constitutional provisions we have at a time like this, is a joke! It comes a time we have to do something for change, and yet we can only make noise, march, where white t-shirts, and protest in front of the LA, and then be rediculed and laughed at by the same well-off people that are backing the government! This is just a total shame! Our Constitution should have provisions therein where we can go to the ballot box at any time after General Election, and vote or recall an MLA minister out of office. A public official should be removedfrom office by the popular vote of the electorate! Now we have to rely on one Independent candidate to rally up people to do what??? The problem is the flimsy Constitution does not permit the electorate, the same people who voted them in, to determine a minister recalled. This is terrible and just shows to us why a party change will just be a repeat! Human beings have a tendency to greed and self-interest, yet we have nothing in the Law of our Land, no checks and balances to remove them from office or even hold them accountable? That to me is a growing cancerous sin!

Miller, I agree with you. The Premier should step aside. But then what? To install another Premier? What we need is a systematic change, my friend, not a mere political one! What are we doing to change the system or are their talks of drafting an Order in Council to amend the law of the land, our Constitution for the better? Will there be dicussions on more people-democracy in the Cayman Islands? The two-party system is not alleviating corruption. You are probably the only MLA who is representing your constituency more than the rest, because you are Independent. The move you make now against corruption, is pertinent!

Yes, Mr. Bush, why don"t you just step aside, until the investigations is completed. If you are found guilty then you stay gone, if you are found innocent then you can resume your role as Premier, simple as that. Ezzard was once on the inside with the UDP, that is why he is the perfect person to point out the obvious. Ellio be careful how you accuse Mr. Ezzard and the opposition, because they are your watchdogs, so you better feel intimidated. If you do things right, then you have no worries.

Ezzard is right here, for some reason we are all sticking our head in the sand, a read of what is public information is already damaging to our country. How do we move forward, how can we change the wrong path we have been lead down ?

In the back of our minds – regardless if we have benfitted from the $$ of "national building" or not can realize this is NOT in the best interested of our country or our children for the long term.

The series of decisions being made ( and it is evident only by one individual i.e. Mac) are damaging and unproductive. We swing from one pie in the sky to another with little or no real time benefit to our community.

How can we change this ? how can be make our community a viable and productive one again ? lets save ourselve further embrassement and do something ourselves before it is done for us as in TCI and we are return to a colonial exisitence which will dismiss our international human rights.

I agree with Ezzard 1000000% (sorry, I mean 100%). If this happened in the U.S. the premier would have had to step down immediately. Mckeeva Bush must step down for the good of the country. The one terrible investigation is bad enough but I understand there are a few other on-going investigations. He must step down, & the perfect time to do so is when Ezzards suggests. But please do not expect such great news. A dictator does as he wants. It will never happen.

Dear Father, please make these people hush nuh, Una must be obsessed with the Premier Bush. Ah caan tek it no more UNA HUSH NUH" For Petes sake Election is right around the corner and una jus caan wait. What I want to know is who una gaw fit the Premier seat. Laud una do come off it now, cause una makin mi tired.

Elections are 17 months away. We could be well and truly sunk by then. There could be direct UK rule by then. Take your head out of the sand. And stop calling yourself "The Prophet". You can't see the present clearly let alone the future.

Just about anyone could fill his seat and do a better job seeing the mess he's made of it.

Dear father, would you please talk to The Prophet. He's making a real idiot of himself and should really stay off the air. Now everybody in Cayman knows who he voted for last elections. We understand he sinned against you but we know you are a merciful God and will not send him to hell just for that. Please tell him dat because hegettin very tired and caan tek it no more.

I voted for the Premier in the last election, and I will again. He's the best person to deal with this situation. The PPM is a waste of time. All of a sudden they want me to think that they have the solutions to what ails this courntry. Think not!

Despite his shortcomings, I too will vote for Mr. Bush in the next election. Nobody is perfect, but i know his heart is in the right place and that's what matters most to me.

He stands up for one and all and while some will try to diminish his works due to a lack of a degree, that is what i admire most about him. He is a self made, and more of us who don't have degrees should take a page from his book and step up to the plate.

I could'nt afford a university education back in the day, and only those with the resources were able to afford such a luxury, Nevertheless, i have done quite well for myself.

More power to Mr. Bush — forget the haters, because in West Bay, we still love you!

Man, it looks like there is even more of them than I thought. If you ask someone to read the article for you, you just might understand that Bush is not being asked to step down because he doesn't have a degree, although not having a degree most certainly doesn't help a person in his position, contrary to popular belief in a certain district in Cayman.

What concerns me most is that the evidence suggests that not only is his heart not in the right place but that he is doing grave damage to this country. He acts in McKeeva Bush's interest, not the country's. He does not stand up for one and all. He stands up for his cronies and monied political supporters. He has not accomplished one single thing since he has been in office but has cost the country millions. If your party does not jettison this man he will take the country down with him.

Whilst I don't think the PPM have the right tools for the job either, I (someone who celebrated Bush getting in) will take any alternative right now. How can the main contributer to "this position" possibly be the best person to deal with it? All he doin is making this position worse and shaming Cayman, whether guilty of this zoning scandal or not.

The international community used to look pon Cayman with awe. Now they just laughing at us. We're no longer a mysterious caribbean paradise and financial centre. We're now seen as a bankrupt, crime-ridden 'tax haven' being driven further into debt by an irresponsible and archaic aministration, led by a Preimier who seems to have a penchant for sticking two fingers up at the mother country when she tries to step in and help.

Its very sad. Much of the damage could be fixed using basic common sense… but perhaps therein lies the problem.

You’re one of the people who helped get us in this mess! Supporting McKeeva and the UDP (even if it wasn’t with an actual vote)! If you’re a non-Caymanian, try so do Cayman a favor and stop supporting Bush/UDP! They are ONLY for THEMSELVES and what they can TAKE from people (Caymanians and Expats). I see so many expats who supported Bush and co. believing their propaganda that the PPM was anti-expat and then the Caymanians who believed that the PPM put us in a finacial hole (where’s the proof?? UDP changed the law so that they wouldn’t have to check the book and try to prove the false claims they made!).

Can't agree with that and don't see him (unlike others I could mention) seeking any limelight. While I don't agree with everything he says and I definitely wouldn't nominate him for Premier, he is a lone sheep who rather than follow the rest (sound familiar?) will stand up against anyone in the LA if he believes he's doing what's right. He speaks out when procedures are not followed, and lord knows we need somebody to speak out. EM called on the Gov for a commission of enquiry on this issue. This investigation needs to be finalised and we the people need closure. The only person I hear being vocal on this issue is EM. He stood up against corruption long before this. After the release of the auditor general's report on the government procurement process he once again got righteously vocal. He requested the government remove duty on medicines and gasoline and brought the motion for the minimum wage. He spoke up against the recent rollover changes. He made a stand and walked out on PAC publicly stating reasons which should rightly raise concern us all. I for one, applaud his efforts to have MLA's divest themselves of their business and (to my mind at least) get on with the job we are paying them to do, at great expense I might add. He brought the motion for one man one vote. He brought the motion to ban wheelclamping. Earlier this year he went to West Bay and warned the people about Darts intentions for West Bay Road – despite Dart's reassurances that there were no specific plans to move the road, EM said he was certain he had already seen such plans being discussed with government at the LAB. I could go on but enough already.

He acts for his constituents and constituency. He let his constituents elect their own district council members which is how all district councils should be elected, rather than the Bush-puppets we have in other districts. His jetty proposal for NS iis commendable and no doubt will be a huge benefit to not just the district, but everyone.

All in all, out of all the politicians I'd say Ezzard is the only one who really openly and very transparently doing his job.

I could not agree with you more. I honestly wish BT had someone of his Character in office. Mark is a playalong, John John is a yes man and Anthony is Mr Squeeky clean, nothing sticks.

I am so saddened by Mr. Mike Adams joining UDP. I have known him for years and I HAD a lot of respect for him. When he joined UDP he lost so much of my respect. To be honest Elio is a young McKeeva. He bleeds from his mouth the same way. He may have a grain or two more education but hey that's really not that hard to accomplish.

PPM right now is being typical PPM. Never too far right or never too far left. Always having someone out in front doing their battle for them. Just look at BT Elections and you would know what I mean. They had so many interest in BT and it too Sandra Catron and others to bring the matter. UDP if in teh same position would NEVER have hesitated for a second. The ink would not have been dry on the paper when Big Mac would have filed documents.

Honest to God if there was someone else I believed was worthwhile to vote for and I knew my vote would not in the end bring UDP into government I would but unfortunately I will have to vote straight PPM in next election because I can not afford them to get even one UDP member from BT this election. I pray more BT people follow my lead. My whole family is going PPM.

Dred you always say you do not favour neither party, now you and your whole family is going PPM………………………….and you pray more BT people follow your lead, i do pray they follow you right into that land for the proposed landfill,just bury yourselves before work starts.

Mr. Miller’s call for the worst Premiere to step aside is good but the opposition should be more vocal as well. We are no longer in the Stone Age and there are too many important decisions to be made by a possibly flawed man to be at the top of the decision making process. The real question is ARE WE A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY that can make our government work flawlessly?

I am about sick of Miller’s Politricks, he is full of hot air and very gifted at starting trouble and spreading rumors. It the RCIPS and the ACC deemed it necessary to recommend that Bush step down or be removed from office they surely would have recommended it themselves. And as far as Miller suggesting that the UK might step in and forcefully remove Bush from office, I’d like to know where he got this information from he’s just making ish up. He’s doing nothing but playing scare tactics by trying to compare this to what happened in TCI.

People need to get a life, take responsibility for their own welfare and realize that all these politicians have their own agenda and are masters of manipulating the public to reach their goal they all tell you what they think you want to her and then do what they think is best themselves. Bottom line here it that it’s the people who voted bush into office, so deal with it and make your position known at the next election which happens to be just aroundthe corner, when I can practically assure you that the PPM will get voted in and within a year or two everyone will hate them just as much as they hate the UDP now. This will again lead to the UPD getting their next chance at bat, and so on and so on.

Can’t you people see that these guys are all playing you against one another?

What we need is a half decent HONEST government something we haven't had for 2 plus years now.

What we THE PEOPLE ARE SICK OF IS YOU!!! Idiots who stick their heads in the sand, hanging on every silly stupid scheme he can come with.

What we need is a goverment going about cutting expenses and not raising them. One that does throw STUPID numbers on paper. ONe that does out and out lie to the people about SURPLUSES that simply do not exist.

What we need is a government, period. What we have is 8 idiots chasing a dodo bird. Not one of them has any backbone.

May I say that the dodo bird is an invasive species. It migrated here in 2009 when the electorate on the same day of General Elections, ratified a document which we call Constitution; and because of this document, it has given McKeeva Bush and any other politician after him, the full sway to practically do as they please. The dodo bird is too much political power over us!

McKeeva needs to have the decency to step down from his royal throne NOW. No amount of scapegoating and blaming and accusing and ignorance and pitiful attempts at shifting the focus can change that fact. And it hurts the poor guy and his ignorant supporters to even think about it. McKeeva has the extremely simple option of giving the Cayman public a reasonable and acceptable explanation for his actions. And the Cayman public most certainly deserves that. Why he continues to refuse to do either says it all about wonderful Mac and his clean hands and his pure heart.. Get a life, people.

PROCEEDS OF CRIME ACT 2002
"An Act to establish the Assets Recovery Agency and make provision about the appointment of its Director and his functions (including Revenue functions), to provide for confiscation orders in relation to persons who benefit from criminal conduct and for restraint orders to prohibit dealing with property, to allow the recovery of property which is or represents property obtained through unlawful conduct or which is intended to be used in unlawful conduct, to make provision about money laundering, to make provision about investigations relating to benefit from criminal conduct or to property which is or represents property obtained through unlawful conduct or to money laundering, to make provision to give effect to overseas requests and orders made where property is found or believed to be obtained through criminal conduct, and for connected purposes."

The saying has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not McKeeva should have the plain decency and respect for his country and it's people to step down while he is being investigated for possible criminal involvement. Nobody is saying he is guilty. We very simply and plainly do not want and should not have a potential criminal running our country.

The Cayman Islands also needs a proper consumer advocacy group to combat the rampant overbilling that goes on with merchants and contractors. A Better Busines Bureau or even a local Angieslist.com. We should demand real world accountablity in all areas of life or it will only get worse.